MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiana pushing for UN commitment in Falklands' dispute

Argentina will request the resumption of United Nations Secretary General “good offices” in the Malvinas/Falklands sovereignty issue, previous to the Decolonization Committee meeting scheduled for later this week.

Buenos Aires diplomatic sources said Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Taiana has a meeting scheduled Thursday morning in New York with Kofi Annan when he will officially request the resumption of Falkland/Malvinas Islands sovereignty talks between Argentina and the United Kingdom under the auspices of United Nations.

The Argentine delegation to the Decolonization Committee or C24 meeting includes Mr. Taiana; Argentina's UN ambassador Jorge Mayoral; head of Malvinas desk in Foreign Affairs ministry Eduardo Airaldi and the presidents of the Senate and Lower House Foreign Affairs committees, Senator Carlos Reutemann and Deputy Jorge Argüello.

According to Argentine sources UN's role in the dispute, under mandate of the General Assembly is "delayed" and needs to be re-launched, for which Mr. Taiana will request Mr. Annan's "good offices", which in diplomatic terms "commits the Secretary General" in the issue.

Taiana and Mr. Annan addressed the issue last March when Argentina presided over the UN Security Council.

Following the meeting with Mr. Annan, Taiana will be addressing the C24 committee where he will insist in the Falklands' "colonial anachronism", such as was expressed in the recent 36th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, OAS, in Santo Domingo.

The C 24 session is scheduled to last from 11:30 to 13:00 hours Thursday New York time. The Annan/Taiana meeting will take place before.

As in previous years Argentina expects a ratification of the UN resolution calling on Argentina and United Kingdom to resume sovereignty negotiations over the Islands.

The resolution which Argentina forecasts will count with the unanimous support of the 26 members that make up C 24 will be presented as in previous occasions by the Chilean delegation.

During the session two Falkland Islanders will be presenting the Islands case, elected Councillors Richard Stevens and Richard Davies, plus two petitioners sponsored by Argentina.

An issue which is expected to be mentioned by Mr. Taiana in his speech is fisheries, "which Argentina has consistently warned on several occasions that it will reject any British pretension to adopt unilateral measures that affect fishery resources in the maritime spaces surrounding the Islands".

It has been persistent policy from President Nestor Kirchner administration to complain bitterly not only about the Falkland Islands fisheries patrolling and the "illegitimate" sale of fishing licences but also "the granting of long term fishing rights, up to twenty five years, in the maritime spaces surrounding the Islands".

This is in direct reference to the new licencing policy the Islands are implementing as of next July clearly favouring Falkland Islands' companies.

"These British actions do not contribute to the solution of the dispute and must cease so both sides can transit along the path spelt out by international statements towards the resumption of sovereignty negotiations", Mr. Taiana is expected to emphasize revealed Argentine diplomatic sources in Buenos Aires.